JPH11248925A - Filter manufacturing device and filter manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate maintenance of an ink-jet head and measurement of ink-discharge amount when ink is ejected by an ink-jet head to manufacture a filter, and to facilitate mounting and dismounting of a substrate. Provided are a filter manufacturing apparatus and a filter manufacturing method that can be performed. SOLUTION: In a filter manufacturing apparatus 10 for manufacturing a filter by landing ink on a substrate 48, a base 1 is provided.
2, a first moving unit 14 set on the base 12 and holding and moving the substrate 48 along the first direction for positioning; and applying ink to the substrate held by the first moving unit 14. Ink jet head 20 for discharging and base 1
2, a second moving means 16 for moving and positioning the ink jet head 20 in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.
4. The filter manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the mounting position of the substrate 48 in step 4 is different from the set position of the second moving means 16 on the base 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a filter manufacturing apparatus and a filter manufacturing method for manufacturing a filter such as a color filter applied to a display device such as a liquid crystal display device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the development of electronic devices such as computers and portable information devices, the use of liquid crystal display devices, especially color liquid crystal display devices, has been increasing. This type of liquid crystal display device uses a color filter to color a display image.

A color filter has a substrate and may be formed by landing R (red), G (green), and B (blue) inks on the substrate in a predetermined pattern. As a method of landing ink on such a substrate, an ink jet method is employed.

When the ink jet system is adopted, a predetermined amount of ink is ejected from an ink jet head to a filter and landed thereon. This substrate is disclosed, for example, in JP-A-8-271724. And mounted on an XY stage. The XY stage moves the substrate in the X direction and the Y direction so that ink from the ink jet head can land on a predetermined position on the substrate.

[0005]

By the way, in order to stabilize the discharge operation of the ink jet head, it is necessary to clean the head and measure the discharge amount of the ink during the operation of landing the ink.

However, when such a conventional board is mounted and an XY stage which can move in the X and Y orthogonal coordinates is used, the head itself is fixed and cannot move. For this reason, when cleaning the head or measuring the amount of ink discharge during the ink discharge and landing operations, it is necessary to temporarily stop the discharge of the ink from the head and stop the production of the color filter.

In addition, when the ink has landed on the substrate and the substrate is removed and the next substrate is set on the XY stage, the operation of attaching and detaching the substrate cannot be performed smoothly. I can't raise it.

Therefore, it is possible to solve the above-mentioned problems of the present invention and to easily perform maintenance of the ink jet head and measurement of the ink discharge amount during the production of the filter by discharging the ink by the ink jet head. It is an object of the present invention to provide a filter manufacturing apparatus and a filter manufacturing method capable of performing the operation of attaching and detaching and replacing a substrate smoothly and easily.

[0009]

According to the present invention, a filter manufacturing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is a filter manufacturing apparatus that manufactures a filter by landing ink on a substrate. A first moving means for holding and moving the substrate along the first direction for positioning, an inkjet head for ejecting ink to the substrate held by the first moving means, and a base set on the base. The second direction perpendicular to the first direction,
And a second moving means for moving and positioning in a direction,
A filter manufacturing apparatus characterized in that a mounting / removal work position of a substrate at a first moving means on a base is different from a set position on a base of a second moving means.

The first moving means is set on the base, and the first moving means can hold the substrate and move along the first direction to be positioned. The inkjet head is
Ink is ejected onto the substrate held by the first moving means.

The second moving means is set on the base, and the second moving means moves and positions in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction of the ink jet head.

Thus, the first moving means can move the substrate alone and position the substrate in the first direction, and the ink jet head can be positioned in the second direction separately from the substrate.

Therefore, when the ink jet head is maintained or the ink ejection amount of the ink jet head is measured, the ink jet head is separated from the substrate during the production of the filter even during the manufacture of the filter.
It can be moved independently by the moving means.

In addition, the mounting position of the substrate at the base by the first moving means is different from the setting at the base of the second moving means. Thus, when the substrate is attached to and detached from the first moving unit, the operation can be reliably performed without being disturbed by the set position on the base of the second moving unit.

In the filter manufacturing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the first moving means is directly set on the base, and the second moving means is located above the first moving means on the base. Accordingly, the mounting / removal operation position of the substrate by the first moving unit on the base is in a different positional relationship from the set position on the base of the second moving unit. Therefore, the second moving means and the ink jet head do not obstruct the attaching / detaching / replacement work of the substrate.

In the filter manufacturing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the ink jet head discharges at least one of red, blue and green inks to the substrate by expansion and contraction of the piezo element to manufacture a color filter. . Thereby, either a color filter or a monochromatic filter can be manufactured.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the substrate is supplied from the substrate accommodating means to the substrate attaching / detaching operation position in the first moving means, and the substrate is supplied from the substrate attaching / detaching operation position in the first moving means to the substrate accommodating means. Substrate supply / discharge means for discharging the substrate. As a result, the substrates can be automatically supplied and ejected sequentially and smoothly automatically.

In the filter manufacturing apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a cleaning means for cleaning the ink jet head and a weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the ink droplet ejected from the ink jet head are provided on the base. The means is moveable with respect to the cleaning means and the weight measuring means by moving the inkjet head in the second direction, and is positionable. By doing this,
The maintenance of the inkjet head and the measurement of the ejection weight of the ink droplet can be performed even during the operation. In the filter manufacturing apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the first moving means includes a holding means for sucking and holding the substrate, and a rotating means for indexing the held substrate in the rotation direction. Thus, the substrate can be securely held by suction, and the position in the rotation direction can be determined by the rotating means, and the substrate can be positioned in the correct direction.

In the filter manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the third moving means for moving and positioning the ink jet head of the second moving means in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction; Since the swing positioning means for swinging and positioning is provided, the posture of the inkjet head with respect to the substrate can be optimized.

In the filter manufacturing method according to the present invention, the first moving means may move along the first direction while holding the substrate by landing ink on the substrate. And the second moving means,
The inkjet head is moved and positioned in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the inkjet head is moved to the first direction.
A filter manufacturing method characterized in that a mounting / removing position of the substrate in the first moving means for discharging ink to the substrate held by the moving means is different from a setting position of the second moving means of the inkjet head.

Thus, the first moving means can move the substrate alone and position the substrate in the first direction, and the ink jet head can be positioned in the second direction separately from the substrate.

Accordingly, when the ink jet head is maintained or the ink ejection amount of the ink jet head is measured, the ink jet head is separated from the substrate during the manufacturing of the filter even during the manufacture of the filter.
It can be moved independently by the moving means.

In addition, the mounting / removing position of the substrate at the first moving means on the base is different from the setting at the base of the second moving means. Thus, when the substrate is attached to and detached from the first moving unit, the operation can be reliably performed without being disturbed by the set position on the base of the second moving unit.

In the filter manufacturing apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the first moving means is directly set on the base, and the second moving means is located above the first moving means on the base. Accordingly, the mounting / removal operation position of the substrate by the first moving unit on the base is in a different positional relationship from the set position on the base of the second moving unit. Therefore, the second moving means and the ink jet head do not obstruct the attaching / detaching / replacement work of the substrate.

In the filter manufacturing apparatus according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the ink jet head discharges at least one of red, blue, and green inks to the substrate by expansion and contraction of the piezo element to manufacture a color filter. . Thereby, either a color filter or a monochromatic filter can be manufactured.

In the filter manufacturing apparatus according to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the substrate is supplied from the substrate accommodating means to the substrate attaching / detaching operation position in the first moving means, and the substrate is supplied from the substrate attaching / detaching operation position in the first moving means to the substrate accommodating means. Substrate supply / discharge means for discharging the substrate. As a result, the substrates can be automatically supplied and ejected sequentially and smoothly automatically.

[0027]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows the filter manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1 in a simplified manner.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the filter manufacturing apparatus 10 schematically includes a base 12 and a first moving means 1.
4. Second moving means 16, electronic balance (weight measuring means) 1
8, inkjet head 20, capping unit 22, cleaning unit (cleaning means) 2
4. It has a controller 26 and the like.

The base (also referred to as a gantry) 12 includes the first moving means 14, the second moving means 16, the electronic balance 18,
Capping unit 22, cleaning unit 24
The cover is provided with a safety cover 28 for accommodating the safety cover 28 and the like, and a worker can open a door of a predetermined portion of the safety cover 28.

The controller 26 includes a monitor 30, a keyboard 32, a computer 34, and the like.

On the base 12, a first moving means 14,
The electronic balance 18, the capping unit 22, the cleaning unit 24, and the second moving unit 16 are set. A robot 74 and a substrate accommodation unit 70 are arranged around the base 12.

The first moving means 14 is preferably a base 1
2, and the first moving means 14 is positioned along the Y-axis direction.

On the other hand, the second moving means 16 is
6A and 16A, and is vertically attached to the base 12, and the second moving means 16 is mounted on the base 1
2 at the rear 12A. The X axis direction of the second moving unit 16 is a direction orthogonal to the Y axis direction of the first moving unit 14. Y axis is front part 12 of base 12
B and the axis along the rear 12A direction. X
The axes are axes along the left-right direction of the base 12, and are each horizontal.

First, the first moving means 14 shown in FIGS.
The second moving means 16 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 shows the first moving means 14, the second moving means 16, the ink jet head 20 and the like.
As already described, the support 16A of the second moving means 16,
16A is located on the rear 12A side of the base 12.

The first moving means 14 shown in FIG. 3 has a guide rail 40, and the first moving means 14 can employ, for example, a linear motor. The slider 42 of the first moving means 14 of the linear motor type can be positioned by moving in the Y-axis direction along the guide rail 40.

The slider 42 has a motor 44 for the θ axis. The motor 44 is, for example, a direct drive motor, and the rotor of the motor 44 is a table 46.
It is fixed to. Thus, when the motor 44 is energized, the rotor and the table 46 can rotate along the θ direction to index the rotation of the table 46.

The table 46 in FIG. 3 is for positioning and holding the substrate 48. Table 46
It has the suction holding means 50, and when the suction holding means 50 operates, through the hole 46 A of the table 46,
The substrate 48 can be sucked and held on the table 46. The substrate 48 is provided with positioning pins 46 of the table 46.
B enables accurate positioning on the table 46.

The table 46 includes the ink jet head 2
No. 0 has a discard area 52 for discarding or test-pushing ink. This discard area 52 is X
It is provided on the rear end side of the table 46 in parallel with the axial direction.

Next, the second moving means 16 in FIG.
It has a column 16B fixed to 6A, 16A,
The column 16B has a second moving means 16 of a linear motor type. The slider 60 is a guide rail 6
It can be moved in the X-axis direction along 2A and positioned.
The slider 60 includes the inkjet head 20 as an ink ejection unit.

The ink jet head 20 has motors 62, 64, 66 and 68 as swing positioning means. By operating the motor 62, the ink jet head 20 can be moved up and down along the Z axis and positioned.
The Z axis is a direction (vertical direction) orthogonal to the X axis and the Y axis.

When the motor 64 is operated, the ink jet head 20 can be positioned by swinging along the β direction. When the motor 66 is operated, the ink jet head 20 can be positioned by swinging in the γ direction. When the motor 68 is operated, the ink-jet head 20 can be positioned by swinging in the α direction.

As described above, the ink-jet head 20 shown in FIG. 3 can be positioned by linearly moving in the Z-axis direction on the slider 60, and can be positioned by swinging along α, β, and γ. The position or orientation of the 20 ink ejection surface 20P with respect to the substrate 48 on the table 46 side can be accurately controlled.

Next, with reference to the plan views of FIGS. 2 and 4, the mounting / removal exchange of the substrate (load and The load) operation will be described.

The substrate is loaded and loaded (also referred to as a supply / discharge operation) by a robot 74 serving as a substrate supply / discharge unit. The robot 74 is located, for example, in front of the base 12 and as shown in FIGS.
Is located in front of.

The substrate accommodating means 70 accommodates a plurality of substrates 48 as shown in FIG. 2, and the substrate 48 is exchanged between the substrate attaching / detaching operation position P of the first moving means 14 and the substrate accommodating means 70. It has become.

The substrate attaching / detaching operation position P is the second position with respect to the base.
The robot 74 is positioned forward of the moving unit 16 and the robot 74 can freely and freely attach and detach the substrate 48 at the substrate attaching and detaching operation position P without being disturbed by the presence of the second moving unit 16 and the inkjet head. It can be performed efficiently. That is, the second moving means 16 and the ink jet head 20 are positioned above the first moving means 14,
Moreover, more preferably, the second moving means 16 includes the base 12
This is because the substrate attaching / detaching operation position P is located near the table 46 of the first moving means 14, and more preferably, at the front portion 12B of the base 12. .

By doing so, the substrate mounting / dismounting operation position P and the second moving means 16 can be separated from each other.

The structure of the robot 74 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, a base 74A, a center shaft CL, and a first arm 74.
B, a second arm 74C, and the second arm 74C has, for example, a vacuum suction pad 74D. Robot 74
By sucking the substrate 48 with the vacuum suction pad 74D, rotating the first arm 74B and the second arm 74C along the center axis CL, and moving the center axis CL up and down in the Z-axis direction. The exchange of the substrate 48 between the substrate accommodating means 70 and the substrate attaching / detaching operation position P can be performed smoothly, efficiently and easily.

FIG. 5 shows an example of electrical connection between the computer 34 shown in FIG. 2, the control panel 80 on the base 12 side, various motors, and the like.

In FIG. 5, the computer 34 is connected to a control panel 80 on the base 12 side. Control panel 80
Is located in the base 12 and its control panel 80
Are connected to the first moving means 14 (linear motor), the second moving means 16 (linear motor), and the motor 44 for the θ-axis. Further, motors 62, 64, 66, 68 shown in FIG. 3 related to the inkjet head 20 are connected to the control panel 80. The first moving means 14 and the θ-axis motor 44 operate in response to a command from the control panel 80 to move the table 46 on which the substrate 48 for manufacturing a color filter is mounted in the Y-axis direction and index in the θ-direction. .

Four motors 62, 6 of the second moving means 16
4, 66 and 68 operate according to a command from the control panel 80 to control the attitude of the inkjet head 20 with respect to the substrate 48 on the table 46.

The robot 74 serving as the substrate discharging means shown in FIG. 4 is, for example, a computer 34 as shown in FIG.
The operation can be controlled by the command.

Next, an example of the structure of the ink jet head 20 will be described with reference to FIGS.

The ink jet head 20 includes, for example,
FIG. 6 shows a head using a piezo element (piezoelectric element).
As shown in (A), a plurality of nozzles 91 are formed on the ink ejection surface 20P of the main body 90. A piezo element 92 is provided for each of the nozzles 91.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the piezo element 92
Are arranged corresponding to the nozzles 91 and the ink chambers 93. By applying an applied voltage Vh to the piezo element 92 as shown in FIG.
As shown in (F) and (E), by expanding and contracting the piezo element 92 in the direction of arrow Q, the ink is pressurized and a predetermined amount of ink droplet 99 is ejected from the nozzle 91.

The ink jet head 20 shown in FIG. 5 is connected to an ink supply section 97.
Is supplied to the ink chamber 93 of FIG. A thermometer 96 and a viscometer 95 are connected to the ink supply unit 97. The thermometer 96 and the viscometer 95 measure the temperature and viscosity of the ink stored in the ink supply unit 97,
The ink state is supplied to the ink management controller 98 as feedback signals S1 and S2.

The ink management controller 98 provides the computer 34 with information on the temperature and viscosity of the ink as control information based on the feedback signals S1 and S2 of the ink state. The computer 34 controls the control panel 8
A piezo element drive signal S3 is sent to the piezo element drive circuit 101 through “0”. Piezo element drive circuit 101
Supplies an applied voltage Vh of a magnitude corresponding to the temperature and viscosity of the ink at that time to the piezo element 92 in FIG. 6 based on the piezo element drive signal S3, thereby controlling the temperature and viscosity of the ink. Thus, a predetermined amount of ink droplet 99 can be ejected.

Next, an example in which a color filter is manufactured by supplying ink to a substrate will be described with reference to FIGS.

The substrate 48 shown in FIG. 7 is a transparent substrate having a high mechanical strength and a high light transmittance. Substrate 4
For example, a transparent glass substrate, an acrylic glass, a plastic substrate, a plastic film, a surface-treated product thereof, or the like can be used as 8.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of color filter regions 105 are formed in a matrix on a rectangular substrate 48 from the viewpoint of increasing productivity. These color filter areas 105 will be
Can be used as a color filter suitable for a liquid crystal display device.

In the color filter region 105, for example, as shown in FIG.
Are formed and arranged in a predetermined pattern. As the formation pattern, there are a mosaic type, a delta type, a square type and the like in addition to a conventionally known stripe type as shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a process for forming the color filter region 105 of FIG.

In FIG. 7A, a black matrix 110 is formed on one surface of a transparent substrate 48. A resin having no light transmission property (preferably black) is applied to a predetermined thickness (for example, about 2 μm) on a substrate 48 serving as a base of the color filter by a method such as spin coating, and is subjected to a photolithography method. The black matrix 110 is provided in the form of a matrix by the method described above.
The smallest display element surrounded by the lattice of the black matrix 110 is called a filter element, and is, for example, a window having a width of about 30 μm in the X-axis direction and a length of about 100 μm in the Y-axis direction.

After the formation of the black matrix 110, for example, heat is applied by a heater so that the substrate 4
8. Bake the resin on top.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the ink drop 99
Land on the filter element 112. The amount of the ink droplet 99 is a sufficient amount in consideration of a decrease in the volume of the ink in the heating step.

In the heating step of FIG. 7C, when all the filter elements 112 on the color filter are filled with the ink droplets 99, a heating process is performed using a heater. The substrate 48 has a predetermined temperature (for example, about 70 ° C.).
Heat to As the solvent in the ink evaporates, the volume of the ink decreases. When the volume decreases sharply, the ink discharging step and the heating step are repeated until a sufficient ink film thickness as a color filter is obtained. By this processing, the solvent of the ink evaporates, and finally, only the solid content of the ink remains to form a film.

In the protective film forming step of FIG. 7D, heating is performed at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time in order to completely dry the ink droplet 99. When the drying is completed, a protective film 120 is formed to protect the substrate 48 of the color filter on which the ink film is formed and to flatten the filter surface. For forming the protective film 120, for example, a method such as a spin coating method, a roll coating method, and a ripping method can be adopted.

In the transparent electrode forming step shown in FIG. 7E, the transparent electrode 130 is formed using a prescription such as a sputtering method or a vacuum suction method.
Is formed over the entire surface of the protective film 120.

In the patterning step of FIG. 7F, the transparent electrode 130 is further patterned into a pixel electrode corresponding to the opening of the filter element 112.

The TFT (T) is used for driving the liquid crystal display panel.
This patterning is unnecessary when using a thin film transistor or the like.

Next, returning to FIG. 2, the electronic balance 18, the cleaning unit 24, the capping 22, and the alignment camera 23 will be briefly described.

The electronic balance 18 is provided with the ink jet head 2
In order to measure and manage the weight of one ink droplet 99 (see FIG. 6) ejected from the 0 nozzle, for example, the ink jet head 20 receives 2000 ink droplets 99 from the nozzle 91 of the inkjet head 20. The electronic balance 18 uses this 2000
By dividing the weight of the ink drop 99 by a number of 2000, the weight of one ink drop 99 can be accurately measured. Based on the measured amount of the ink droplet 99, the amount of the ink droplet 99 ejected from the inkjet head 20 is optimally controlled.

The cleaning unit 24 can perform cleaning of the nozzles 91 and the like of the ink jet head 20 shown in FIG. The capping 22 covers the ink ejection surface 20P of the ink jet head 20 in FIG. 3 during standby for manufacturing no filter in order to prevent the ink ejection surface 20P from drying.

By moving the inkjet head 20 in the X-axis direction by the second moving means 16, the inkjet head 20 can be selectively positioned above the electronic balance 18, the cleaning unit 24 or the capping unit 22. . That is, even during the filter manufacturing operation, the weight of the ink droplet can be measured by moving the inkjet head 20 to, for example, the electronic balance 18 side. In addition, if the inkjet head 20 is moved onto the cleaning unit 24, the inkjet head 20 can be cleaned. When the inkjet head 20 is moved above the capping unit 22, the ink ejection surface 2 of the inkjet head 20 is moved.
Attach a cap to 0P to prevent drying.

The alignment camera 23 detects the position of the substrate 48 by detecting an alignment mark formed on the substrate 48 in advance.

Next, an example of operation of the illustrated filter manufacturing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

In step ST1 of FIG. 9, the vacuum suction pad 74D of the robot 74 of FIG. 2 sucks the new substrate 48 of the substrate accommodating means 70 and transports it to the attachment / detachment operation position P of the base 12. That is, the substrate 48 is supplied onto the table 46 of the first moving unit 14. This substrate 48 is shown in FIG.
By being abutted against the positioning pin 46B,
The substrate 48 is positioned with respect to the table 46. In addition, the motor 44 is operated to set the end faces of the substrate 48 so as to be parallel to the Y-axis direction. The above is the positioning of the substrate and the alignment of the substrate in steps ST2 and ST3 in FIG.

Then, the computer 34 calculates the starting position of the ink discharge operation in step ST4 in FIG. 8 based on the information from the alignment camera 23 and the information from the observation camera 27 in FIG.

On the other hand, in step ST 5 of FIG. 9, the ink jet head 20 moves along the X-axis direction and is positioned above the electronic balance 18. Then, as shown in steps ST6, ST7 and ST8 in FIG. 9, the parameters are loaded, the designated nozzle is selected, and the counter of the electronic balance 18 is cleared. Then, in step ST9, the designated number of drops (the number of designated ink drops) is ejected. Thus, the electronic balance 18 of FIG. 2 measures the weight of, for example, 2,000 ink drops, and calculates the weight per ink drop.
When the calculation of the weight of one ink droplet is completed for all nozzles of the inkjet head 20 to be measured through steps ST10, ST11, and ST12 in FIG. 9, the drawing start position in step ST13 in FIG. Inkjet head 20 moves along the X-axis direction,
The substrate 48 is appropriately moved and positioned in the Y-axis direction by the first moving means 14, and the ink-jet head 20 is moved.
Is appropriately moved in the X-axis direction by the second moving means 16 and positioned.

Thus, steps ST14, ST15
As shown in FIG. 6 on the substrate, a plurality of color filter regions 105 are formed, for example, in a stripe pattern.

The filter manufacturing apparatus 10 shown in FIGS.
The inkjet head 20 is preferably R (red),
Alternatively, one of G (green) and B (blue) is ejected. In a state where the substrate 48 is moved in the constant speed region, the inkjet head 20 continuously discharges, for example, R (red) ink onto the substrate 48 above the discharge target position.

After forming, for example, R (red) ink in all the color filter areas 105 as shown in FIG. 6, the robot 74 in FIG. Move to the 70 side and fit. The accommodated substrate 48 is transferred to the next filter manufacturing apparatus to form G (green) and B (blue) in the color filter area.

As described above, since the inkjet head 20 can be moved and positioned independently in the X-axis direction by the second moving means 16, the inkjet head 20 can be moved.
Is cleaned by the cleaning unit 24 shown in FIG.
The operation of attaching a cap in step 2 and measuring the weight of ink droplets with the electronic balance 18 can be performed as needed during the color filter forming operation. That is, the inkjet head 20 can be independently sent in the X-axis direction above the cleaning unit 24, the capping unit 22, or the electronic balance 18 side. Thus, maintenance of the ink jet head 20, measurement of the weight of ink droplets, and the like can be easily, smoothly, and efficiently performed without stopping the operation of manufacturing the color filter. Further, when the substrate mounting / dismounting operation position P is in the
The second moving unit 1 is located in front of the moving unit 16.
Since 6 is located above the first moving unit 14, the attaching / detaching operation of the substrate 48 can be easily performed without disturbing the second moving unit 16 and the inkjet head 20. For this reason, the replacement of the substrate 48 can be performed smoothly, easily and efficiently without being restricted by the position of the ink jet head 20 or the like.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment,
Various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.

The filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the manufacture of a color filter for a liquid crystal display device, for example, and can be applied to, for example, an EL (electroluminescence) display element. EL display element
A thin film containing a fluorescent inorganic or organic compound is sandwiched between a cathode and an anode, and excitons are generated by injecting electrons and holes into the thin film and recombining them. The device emits light using the emission of light (fluorescence / phosphorescence) when the exciton is deactivated. Of the fluorescent materials used in such EL display elements, materials that emit red, green, and blue luminescent colors are subjected to inkjet patterning on an element substrate such as a TFT using the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, so that self-luminous full-color can be obtained. E
An L display element can be manufactured. The range of the filter in the present invention includes the substrate of such an EL display element.

The filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a step of performing a surface treatment such as plasma, UV treatment, and coupling on the surfaces of the resin resist, the pixel electrode, and the lower layer so that the EL material is easily attached. You may have.

The EL display element manufactured by using the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention can be applied to a low-information field such as a segment display or a simultaneous image display of a simultaneous image, for example, a picture, a character, a label, or the like. -It can also be used as a light source having a line / surface shape. In addition to passive drive display elements, TF
By using an active element such as T for driving, a full-color display element having high luminance and excellent responsiveness can be obtained.

Further, if a metal material or an insulating material is provided for the inkjet patterning technique of the present apparatus, direct fine patterning of a metal wiring, an insulating film, or the like can be performed, and the present invention can be applied to the fabrication of a new high-performance device.

The ink jet head 20 of the filter manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. G. FIG. B can discharge one kind of ink,
Of course, two or three types of ink can be simultaneously discharged.

Although the first moving means 14 and the second moving means 16 of the filter manufacturing apparatus 10 use linear motors, the present invention is not limited to this, and other types of motors and actuators can be used.

[0093]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the first
The moving means can move the substrate alone to position the substrate in the first direction, and the inkjet head can position the ink jet head separately from the substrate in the second direction.

Therefore, when the ink jet head is maintained or the ink ejection amount of the ink jet head is measured, the ink jet head is separated from the substrate during the production of the filter even during the manufacture of the filter.
It can be moved independently by the moving means.

In addition, the mounting / removing operation position of the substrate at the first moving means on the base is different from the setting at the base of the second moving means. Accordingly, when the substrate is attached to and detached from the first moving unit, the operation can be reliably performed without disturbing the set position on the base of the second moving unit.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the first
The substrate mounting / detaching operation position in the moving unit has a different positional relationship from the set position on the base of the second moving unit. Therefore, the second moving means and the ink jet head do not hinder the mounting / detaching / replacement work of the substrate.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the ink jet head discharges at least one of red, blue, and green inks to the substrate by expansion and contraction of the piezo element to manufacture a color filter. Thereby, either a color filter or a monochromatic filter can be manufactured.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the substrate is supplied from the substrate accommodating means to the substrate attaching / detaching operation position in the first moving means, and the substrate is discharged from the substrate attaching / detaching operation position in the first moving means to the substrate accommodating means. It has supply and discharge means. As a result, the substrates can be automatically supplied and ejected sequentially and smoothly automatically. Further, by configuring the device by separating the drive shaft, it is possible to easily ensure the accuracy of the device.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a cleaning means for cleaning the ink jet head and a weight measuring means for measuring the ejection weight of ink droplets from the ink jet head are provided on the base. The head can be moved and positioned with respect to the cleaning means and the weight measuring means by moving the head in the second direction. In this way, maintenance of the inkjet head and measurement of the ejection weight of ink droplets can be performed even during operation.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the first moving means has a holding means for sucking and holding the substrate and a rotating means for indexing the held substrate in the rotation direction. Thus, the substrate can be reliably held by suction, and the position in the rotation direction can be determined by the rotating means, and the substrate can be positioned in the correct direction.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the ink jet head of the second moving means is moved in the third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction.
The third moving means for moving and positioning in the direction and the swing positioning means for swinging and positioning the ink jet head can optimize the posture of the ink jet head with respect to the substrate.

In the eighth aspect of the present invention, the first moving means can move the substrate alone to position the substrate in the first direction, and the ink jet head can be positioned separately from the substrate along the second direction. .

Therefore, when the maintenance of the ink jet head or the measurement of the ink discharge amount of the ink jet head is performed, the ink jet head is separated from the substrate in the middle of the filter even during the manufacture of the filter.
It can be moved independently by the moving means.

In addition, the mounting / removing position of the substrate at the first moving means on the base is different from the setting at the base of the second moving means. Accordingly, when the substrate is attached to and detached from the first moving unit, the operation can be reliably performed without disturbing the set position on the base of the second moving unit.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the first in the base is
The substrate mounting / detaching operation position in the moving unit has a different positional relationship from the set position on the base of the second moving unit. Therefore, the second moving means and the ink jet head do not obstruct the attachment / detachment / replacement fraud.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the ink jet head discharges at least one of red, blue, and green inks to the substrate by the expansion and contraction of the piezo element to manufacture a color filter. Thereby, either a color filter or a monochromatic filter can be manufactured.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the substrate is supplied from the substrate accommodating means to the substrate attaching / detaching operation position in the first moving means, and is discharged from the substrate attaching / detaching operation position in the first moving means to the substrate accommodating means. It has supply and discharge means. As a result, the substrates can be automatically supplied and ejected sequentially and smoothly automatically.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing in detail a preferred embodiment of a filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the filter manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1 more clearly.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a first moving unit and a second moving unit, an inkjet head, a substrate, and the like of the filter manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a first moving unit, a second moving unit, a robot, a substrate housing unit, and the like.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a computer, a control panel, various control objects, and the like.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a structure of an inkjet head.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of manufacturing a color filter using a substrate.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a substrate and a part of a color filter region on the substrate.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an operation example of the filter manufacturing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 14 First moving means 16 Second moving means 20 Inkjet head 46 Table 48 Substrate 74 Robot (substrate feeding / discharging means)

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kazumi Shinohara 3-3-5 Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Inside Seiko Epson Corporation

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A filter manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a filter by landing ink on a substrate, wherein the base is set on the base, the substrate is held and moved along a first direction for positioning. A first moving unit, an ink jet head that ejects ink to a substrate held by the first moving unit, and a base set to move and position the ink jet head in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. And a second moving means, wherein a mounting / removing position of the substrate on the base by the first moving means is different from a set position on the base of the second moving means. 2. The first moving means is set directly on the base,
The filter manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second moving means is located on the base above the first moving means. 3. The filter manufacturing according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet head manufactures a color filter by discharging at least one of red, blue, and green inks to a substrate by expansion and contraction of a piezo element. apparatus. 4. A substrate accommodating means for accommodating a plurality of substrates arranged at a position different from the base, and supplying the substrate from the substrate accommodating means to a substrate attaching / detaching operation position in the first moving means. 4. The filter manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate supply / discharge unit that discharges the substrate from the substrate mounting / dismounting operation position to the substrate storage unit. 5. A cleaning device for cleaning an ink jet head, and a weight measuring device for measuring a weight of ink droplets ejected from the ink jet head on a base, wherein the second moving device moves the ink jet head to the first position. The filter manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filter manufacturing apparatus is movable in two directions and moved and positioned with respect to the cleaning unit and the weight measuring unit. 6. The filter manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first moving means has a suction holding means for sucking and holding the substrate, and a rotating means for dividing the held substrate in a rotation direction. 7. A third moving means for moving and positioning the ink jet head of the second moving means in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction, and a rocking positioning for rocking and positioning the ink jet head. Means.
3. The filter manufacturing apparatus according to item 1. 8. A filter manufacturing method for manufacturing a filter by landing ink on a substrate, wherein the first moving means holds the substrate and moves and positions the substrate along a first direction to perform positioning. Means for moving and positioning the ink jet head in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the ink jet head discharging ink onto a substrate held by the first moving means, The method of manufacturing a filter, wherein the attaching and detaching operation is performed at a position different from a setting position of the second moving unit of the inkjet head. 9. The first moving means is set directly on the base,
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the second moving means moves and positions the ink jet head at a position above the first moving means on the base. 10. The filter manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet head manufactures a color filter by discharging at least one of red, blue, and green inks to a substrate by expansion and contraction of a piezo element. Method. 11. A substrate is supplied from a substrate accommodating means to a substrate attaching / detaching operation position in the first moving means, and the substrate is discharged from the substrate attaching / detaching operation position in the first moving means to the substrate accommodating means. The method for producing a filter according to any one of the above.